NBA an agent of traveling

Any basketball fan older than about 25, on occasion, will comment about how referees never call traveling in the NBA.

Thanks to a new league rule, they don’t have to. Traveling, in moderation, is now officially legal in the NBA.

A new rule states that players are allowed to take two steps before they pass, shoot or come to a stop after picking up their dribble. Two steps before a pass or shot makes sense, and to be honest, I thought that was always the rule. Apparently the old rule, and the rule for all other levels of basketball, is one step.

But two steps while coming to a stop? That’s a joke. Try getting away with that in a pickup game.

Unfortunately, now that the NBA says two is OK, expect traveling calls this season to be at an all-time low. Because, really, have you ever seen a player called for traveling after taking two steps? Most of the time taking three doesn’t get called, and it certainly won’t now.

I realize this makes me seem like an old-timer who starts sentences with, “Back in my day,” while making observations about the game. But this rule is another step toward making the NBA more like the “NBA Street” video games than actual basketball.

Complete Air-ogance

The son of Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, is following in the footsteps of his father. No, he’s not attending the University of North Carolina. No, he’s not wining slam dunk contests, and no, he’s not leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships. And he’s certainly not getting into the Basketball Hall of Fame without a ticket.

Marcus Jordan, a freshman at the University of Central Florida, which has an apparel contract with adidas, said he would not wear that brand and instead don Nike’s Air Jordan shoe, named after his father, citing family pride. Family pride? Really!??!

My first reaction to this would be UCF is far from a college basketball mecca, and Marcus Jordan probably doesn’t have the skills his dad possessed. I understand that he’s a high-profile player with a high-profile father, but he’s still part of a team and making these sorts of waves as a freshman probably won’t bode well for him in the future.

Secondly, UCF athletic director Keith Tribble told a media outlet that the player can choose his own shoe, and that an instance had come up in the past when a football player wore a different brand because the team brand didn’t fit. Just don’t tell that to adidas, which, according to a spokesperson, said an agreement has yet to be reached.

Look, if I’m the CEO at adidas, and I’m paying good money to outfit these players, you’re damned right I want Michael Jordan’s kid in my shoe. The way I see it, UCF can do one of two things if he refuses to wear adidas: 1) Cut ties with the shoe company and look for another apparel company, one that complies with this little brat’s request, or 2) Yank his scholarship and the headaches already coming with it.

If neither of those work, the AD can always hit up his Airness for some cash to outfit the entire athletic program with the Swoosh.

Manny all washed up

Not long ago, I used this space to back Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis, a fiery player who wears his emotions on his sleeve. And while I appreciate his oft over-the-top antics on the field, I took a little flack from apparent baseball purists, who felt that kind of behavior goes against the game.

Well, those same people who feel there’s no place for “rah-rah” players in baseball must really love Manny Ramirez. The Dodgers outfielder and all-around slacker wasn’t there to root on his teammates during Monday night’s walk-off loss to the Phillies in the NL championship series — he was in the shower already after being replaced for defensive purposes.

This bit of team anarchy has caused quite a stir among columnists, but how could anybody be surprised by this? I mean, this is just Manny being Manny, right? Fans, especially in this part of the country, should know this routine by now. Manny does what he wants, when he wants, and the outcome of any game has little bearing on his agenda.

The Dodgers will likely be bounced from the playoffs tonight, and the person who will be the least pained is Manny. He’s already got his ring (two, in fact), and he’s not willing to go above and beyond to help some of his younger teammates get theirs.

That’s the difference between Manny and Youkilis, who had a physical confrontation in the dugout during the 2008 season — one cares only for the team, and one cares only for himself.

Sure, Youk might go over the top at times, but who would you choose to have on your team in the playoffs?

Week 6 R.I. High School Football Poll

Apparently none of my voting colleagues around the state are sold on Middletown yet. After another big win, over a quality Classical team, the Islanders dropped a spot in this week's poll. Come on, people. They might be in Division IV, but the Islanders are for real. I had them at No. 5 in my poll. Oh well.

It's also a little odd that Portsmouth has hung around, only falling one spot to No. 12, despite losing three straight. Granted, those three losses were to East Providence, La Salle and Barrington (Nos. 3, 1 and 2 in the state). A Patriots winning streak seems imminent as they head into what they would never admit is the soft part of their schedule.

Unfortunately, we still have a few weeks until the monumental La Salle-Barrington game on Nov. 6. That almost certainly will be a D-I Super Bowl preview, and it might be the only chance Barrington has to overtake La Salle at the top spot in the poll.

1. La Salle (5) 157 1
2. Barrington (3) 155 2
3. East Providence 142 3
4. West Warwick 128 4
5. South Kingstown 125 5
6. Cranston East 113 7
7. Middletown 111 6
8. Hendricken 101 10
9. Ponaganset 99 8
10. Woonsocket 92 9
11. Mount Hope 81 12
12. Portsmouth 65 11
13. Westerly 54 15
14t. Cranston West 50 14
14t. Johnston 50 13
16. Coventry 32 16
17. Tiverton 26 18t
18. St. Raphael 25 NR
19. Moses Brown 23 20
20. Lincoln 20 18t

Dropped out (last week’s rank): Hope (17).
Others receiving votes: Cumberland 13, Toll Gate 7, Central 3, Mount Pleasant 3, Shea 3, Classical 2, Hope 2.
Participating publications: The Chariho Times, The Coventry Courier, The
Cranston Herald, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Narragansett Times, The
Newport Daily News, The Northeast Independent, The North Kingstown
Standard Times, The South County Independent, The Warwick Beacon, The
Westerly Sun.

Brady out, Hoyer in - the end zone

Brian Hoyer replaces Tom Brady, yet the rout continues. Hoyer scores on a quarterback plunge.
59-0 Patriots going into the fourth quarter. The 59 points is a franchise record.

52-0 and counting

Tom Brady needed less than five minutes at the start of the third quarter to throw his sixth touchdown pass, a 9-yarder to Randy Moss.
That equals Brady's career high. Will coach Bill Belichick keep him in for a chance to break his record?

The mauling continues right up to halftime

This is ridiculous. 45-0 New England at the half.
Brady has already thrown for over 300 yards and five touchdowns. All the TD passes came in the second quarter.
Kerry Collins is 1-of-10 passing.
Brady in his 28 passes completed 24.
Titans should be called the Titanics.
Collins takes a knee on the final play.

Moss moves making mincemeat of Tennessee

Nice play to go up 17-0. BenJarvus Green-Ellis takes a hand off up the middle, stops, turns and pitches back to Brady, who heaves a long touchdown pass to Randy Moss behind a trio of Tennessee defenders.
Moss may have lulled the defense on the previous play, taking a short pass on the right side while stationary, then going down as if he was going to make a snow angel.
Then he takes off on a slant from the right side to the house.
Now things are snowballing even more against Tennessee. Mike Wright recovers a Titans fumble. Two plays later, Brady, given plenty of time, hits Moss going left to right in the end zone.
It's 24-0 New England with nearly nine minutes to go in the half and Tennessee headed to 0-6 on the season.

NE adds to its lead

Gostkowski's caps a 7-play, 63-yard drive with a 33-yard field goal to increase New England's lead to 10-0.
A 48-yard pass from Tom Brady to Wes Welker - most of it in the air, a rarity between the two - was the meat of the march.

Maroney moves

Laurence Maroney goes 45 yards for a touchdown for the Pats. He found a hole on the right side as his split-second hesitation paid dividends.
He's often criticized for his dancing in the backfield, but this time he showed an all-pro move.

Patriots kick off

Boston, New England, whatever, is kicking off to the Oilers, Titans, whatever, in this game between old AFL teams in throwback uniforms. The snow is fitting for a throwback game.
It's three and out for the Oilers, as they're being called here by the press box PA ... and there goes Julian Edelman on the punt return - 35-yard punt and a 35-yard return.
Some pass completions, but Sammy Morris goes down and taken out and down goes Brady.
The sack isn't the fault of rookie Sebastian Vollmer, filling in at demanding left tackle for the injured Matt Light.
The Pats don't get on the scoreboard first this time around because Stephen Gostkowski is wide right on a 39-yard field goal try.